1st Circ. Affirms Block Of Trump's 'Unprecedented' Aid Freeze

By Hailey Konnath

The First Circuit on Monday mostly upheld a lower court's order blocking the Trump administration from enacting a "sweeping and unprecedented categorical 'freeze' of federal financial assistance," ruling that the states involved in the suit will likely successfully show that the federal government acted arbitrarily and capriciously.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Chicago Female Cops Secure Trials In Sex Bias Suits

By Grace Elletson

The city of Chicago can't evade trial on three female cops' claims that gender discrimination cost them promotions or got them downgraded to lesser positions, an Illinois federal judge ruled, crediting evidence showing they may have been treated differently due to their sex.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Boeing Investors Secure Class Cert. In 737 Max Fraud Suit

By Rae Ann Varona

An Illinois federal judge on Monday granted class certification to investors who allege Boeing harmed them by misrepresenting the safety of its 737 Max aircraft, finding that the investors established a common method for measuring damages that could apply class-wide.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Capital One's $5B Brex Purchase Must Be Blocked, Judge Told

By Katryna Perera

A group of consumers wants a California federal judge to bar Capital One's proposed $5.15 billion acquisition of fintech company Brex, arguing it violates antitrust laws, after the group's first bid to halt the bank's purchase of Discover Financial Services failed. 

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump Admin Wants Student Loan Forgiveness Suits Tossed

By Julie Manganis

The Trump administration on Monday asked a Massachusetts federal judge to toss a pair of lawsuits challenging a change to eligibility requirements for student loan forgiveness, calling the potential repercussions from the new rule "speculative."

Memorandum attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Discovery Moves Ahead In $7M Bulgarian Gas Project Feud

By Joyce Hanson

A federal magistrate judge has declined to pause discovery pending arbitration in an Illinois-based community bank's litigation seeking to determine the proper owner of $7 million it's holding in escrow for a Bulgarian natural gas construction project, saying he is not convinced a stay is warranted.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

States Sue Over Trump Cuts To Housing Bias Programs

By Isaac Monterose

A group of 15 states and the District of Columbia claimed on Monday that the Trump administration is undermining their enforcement of fair housing laws by threatening to cut off funding from local government programs that enforce fair housing protections for people who are discriminated against for traits such as their sexual orientation.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump Taps Vance For Fraud Task Force, Bashing Blue States

By Lauren Berg

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order creating a task force chaired by Vice President JD Vance that aims to curb "fraud, waste and abuse" in federal housing, food and other benefit programs, with the president alleging "staggering fraud and waste" in Minnesota and other Democratic-led states.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Says Live Witnesses Not Needed For HPE Deal Hearing

By Matthew Perlman

A California federal judge will not permit live witnesses during a hearing next week on a U.S. Department of Justice settlement for Hewlett Packard Enterprise's purchase of Juniper Networks but asked the state enforcers opposing the deal to have an expert available.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Says Trump's Trans Restroom Ban Isn't Discriminatory

By Tom Lotshaw

The U.S. Department of Justice has told a D.C. federal judge that the Trump administration's decision to prohibit transgender federal employees from using restrooms that match their gender identities was lawful, and that a proposed class action challenging it must fail.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FAA Doesn't Preempt Duty In JetBlue Deplaning Injury Suit

By Mike Curley

An Illinois magistrate judge on Monday declined to trim state claims from a woman suing JetBlue Airways Corp. alleging she was injured while disembarking from a plane, saying the standard of care outlined in the Federal Aviation Act stops applying after the plane lands.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Alight, Former Execs Accused Of Misleading Growth Claims

By Sydney Price

Employee benefits solutions company Alight Inc. and its former executives were hit with a proposed class action Monday accusing them of making misleading claims about the company's ability to meet its financial forecast and issue a dividend.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ill. Judge Ends Suit Over Abstract, Broad Video ID Patent

By Dani Kass

An Illinois federal judge has dismissed Trustybell GmbH's suit accusing a digital notarization company of infringing its patent for video identity verification, saying it does not meet eligibility requirements.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Court Grants Dismissal Of THC Potency Action

By Jonathan Capriel

Cannabis company Revolution Global LLC has defeated, for now, a federal proposed class action accusing it and its subsidiaries of mislabeling their cannabis oil to get around Illinois THC potency limits, the latest loss for plaintiffs represented by a law firm that's working with several consumers in the state who have similar claims.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

OCC Calls For Preemption Of Ill. Swipe-Fee Law At 7th Circ.

By Jon Hill

A top U.S. banking regulator is seconding the banking industry's call for the Seventh Circuit to block Illinois' tax and tip swipe-fee ban, arguing a lower-court judge missed the "forest for the trees" in ruling the state-law restrictions are enforceable against banks it oversees.

5 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Honigman Continues PE Growth In Chicago With 2 New Attys

By Andrea Keckley

Honigman LLP announced two Chicago-based additions to its private equity bench Monday — one from Kirkland & Ellis LLP and another from Ropes & Gray LLP.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

How Cos. Should Prepare For NY RAISE Act Compliance

With the New York Responsible AI Safety and Education Act taking effect March 19, state regulators will expect subject artificial intelligence governance policies to understand whether appropriate safeguards and protocols are in place to prevent or mitigate discriminatory or adverse outcomes by frontier models, says Michael Paulino at Gordon Rees.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

The Benefits Of Choosing A Niche Practice In The AI Age

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly accessible, lawyers with a niche practice may stand out as clients seek specialized judgment that automation cannot replicate, but it is important to choose a niche that is durable, engaging and a good personal fit, says Daniel Borneman at Lowenstein Sandler.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Chief Justice Says Personal Attacks On Judges 'Got To Stop'

By Katie Buehler

Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday condemned the personal attacks on federal judges that have become increasingly common during President Donald Trump's second term in office — and that are often launched by the president himself — and defended the daily work of the judiciary. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NJ Judge Boots Prosecutor, Orders US Atty Trio's Testimony

By Jack Karp

A New Jersey federal judge on Monday questioned whether Alina Habba is still running the New Jersey U.S. Attorney's Office during a heated hearing where the jurist tossed a supervisory prosecutor from his courtroom and ordered testimony from the trio of attorneys who assumed Habba's responsibilities.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Reed Smith Launches In Boston With 12 Attys From 7 Firms

By Tracey Read

Reed Smith LLP has launched its first office in Boston with 12 lawyers from White & Case, Goodwin Procter, McDermott Will & Schulte, Morrison Foerster, Kirkland & Ellis, Weil Gotshal & Manges and K&L Gates, the firm announced Tuesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'No Disrespect' But Law Prof Mom Not SBF's Atty, Judge Says

By Lauren Berg

A federal judge in Manhattan cautioned retired Stanford Law School professor Barbara Fried, the mother of convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, that she cannot make filings on behalf of her son in his bid for a new trial, saying she has not filed an appearance with the court.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Indiana Firm Drops Quintairos Prieto 'Mass Exodus' Suit

By Adrian Cruz

Less than a month after suing Quintairos Prieto Wood & Boyer PA for allegedly causing a "mass exodus" of attorneys, Indiana-based Kopka Pinkus Dolin PC has chosen to dismiss the matter, according to a recent court filing.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Comer Subpoenas AG Bondi Over Epstein Investigation

By Courtney Bublé

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, issued a subpoena on Tuesday for Attorney General Pam Bondi over the committee's investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Senate OKs Conservative Think Tank GC As Louisiana Judge

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 51-45 on Tuesday to confirm Anna St. John, president and general counsel of the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, as a U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

IP Atty Appeals Order Requiring OK To File EDTX Patent Suits

By Lauren Berg

Intellectual property attorney William Ramey is asking the Federal Circuit to overturn a Texas district judge's sanctions order requiring him to seek the court's permission before filing patent suits in the future, saying the judge relied on the wrong evidence in finding the attorney failed to conduct presuit investigations.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Lawmakers Want More Oversight For Antitrust Settlements

By Matthew Perlman

Democratic lawmakers proposed legislation Tuesday that would give courts more power to review settlements reached in government antitrust cases, after the U.S. Department of Justice recently cut a pair of controversial deals, including with Live Nation last week.

Bill attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NJ Justices Create Attorney Readmission Board

By Jake Maher

New Jersey's highest court announced Tuesday it formally established a new body charged with overseeing readmissions of disbarred lawyers through changes to the state's standards for attorney conduct.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Pot Co. Escapes Potency Suit, Judge Warns Plaintiff Firm

By Jonathan Capriel

MariMed and other cannabis companies beat claims they intentionally mislabeled their products to sidestep Illinois THC potency limits, with a federal judge highlighting the string of consumer-led suit losses and warning counsel to "heed the strong and universal concerns about the plausibility of their legal theories."

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Prediction Markets Have Opened Compliance 'Pandora's Box'

By Phillip Bantz

The burgeoning prediction market has exploded the definition of what qualifies as confidential corporate information that employees could misuse for personal gain, leaving companies scrambling to update internal policies and guidelines, compliance experts say.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »